Among lands proposed for sale in Bonner County are parcels near Caribou Lake in the Selkirk Mountains (top; photo by John Karpenko ) and Talache Landing on Lake Pend Oreille (above; photo by Chris Bessler).
National Forest lands may go up for sale
Bush proposes sale of 6,800 acres around Sandpoint
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Among lands proposed for sale in Bonner County are parcels near Caribou Lake in the Selkirk Mountains (top; photo by John Karpenko ) and Talache Landing on Lake Pend Oreille (above; photo by Chris Bessler). |
Within the Idaho Panhandle National Forests in Bonner and Boundary counties, 40 parcels are proposed for sale, ranging from 4 to 625 acres in size. All told, more than 6,820 acres are proposed for sale in these two northern counties.
The administration has balked at appropriating the funding for rural schools as it has in the past, and instead is proposing the land sale to help fund the program for the next five years.
As reported by the Idaho Conservation League on its website, WildIdaho.org, the public lands targeted for sale include important habitat for fish and wildlife, portions of roadless areas, campgrounds and even a National Recreation Trail. Once these lands are sold, they will become private property and the new owner will be under no obligation to prove public access for hunting, fishing, or camping. The sales do not require easements for the new owners to protect wildlife habitat or current access routes.
The Forest Service is gathering public comments on the proposal. The comment period was originally scheduled to end on March 30; it has been extended to May 1, 2006. Scroll down for maps of lands, an inventory of the parcels, and where to comment.
Maps
The following maps from the WildIdaho.org site show the location of
lands for sale. The links will open PDF documents; file sizes are around 1MB, so
you will have to wait for the download..
Idaho Panhandle sale lands North
area map
This map shows IPNF lands north of Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry.
Idaho Panhandle sale lands South
area map
This map shows IPNF lands south of Sandpoint & around Lake Pend Oreille.
All Idaho sale lands - Map
of state
This overview map shows lands on all national forests in Idaho.
Other national forests
Find links to maps for other individual forest at WildIdaho.Org
Local
IPNF lands targeted
for sale
County
Township
Section
Acres
Bonner
08T0530N0010W 003
4.99
Bonner
08T0540N0030W 026
54.87
Bonner
08T0540N0030W 027
161.41
Bonner
08T0540N0040W 008
40.75
Bonner
08T0540N0040W 026
480.2
Bonner
08T0540N0050W 007
120.67
Bonner
08T0550N0010W 005
63.87
Bonner
08T0550N0010W 008
44.43
Bonner
08T0550N0030E 016
160.48
Bonner
08T0550N0030E 020
320.08
Bonner
08T0550N0030E 022
39.7
Bonner
08T0550N0030W 001
83.26
Bonner
08T0550N0030W 005
156.01
Bonner
08T0550N0030W 012
160.21
Bonner
08T0550N0030W 013
160.12
Bonner
08T0550N0030W 017
35.89
Bonner
08T0550N0030W 025
40.04
Bonner
08T0550N0040W 011
158.59
Bonner
08T0550N0040W 011
158.78
Bonner
08T0550N0040W 024
437.56
Bonner
08T0550N0040W 026
160.9
Bonner
08T0550N0050W 006
120.72
Bonner
08T0550N0050W 008
120.77
Bonner
08T0550N0050W 018
486.76
Bonner
08T0550N0050W 030
40.72
Bonner
08T0550N0060W 012
307.04
Bonner
08T0560N0010W 008
213.59
Bonner
08T0560N0020E 016
162.44
Bonner
08T0560N0020E 017
79.03
Bonner
08T0560N0020W 012
77.44
Bonner
08T0560N0020W 029
80.12
Bonner
08T0560N0030W 026
159.59
Bonner
08T0560N0030W 026
195.17
Bonner
08T0570N0010W 034
197.76
Bonner
08T0570N0030W 017
148.94
Bonner
08T0590N0010W 026
477.77
Bonner
08T0590N0030W 025
625.89
Boundary
08T0600N0010W
022
282.19
Boundary
08T0600N0010W
026
39.89
Boundary
08T0620N0020E
010
55.1
Other links
Forest Service notice
of sale and FAQ
Complete listings of all
lands for sale
Federal Register notice
of public comment (pdf file)
Public
comment
Utilize the contact information below to comment on the sale or send
a message to elected officials.
Local talk: To see or post in local discussions, go to the Sandpoint Forums.
Comments for the official record may be submitted by e-mail, fax or letter to the Forest Service at the address below. Electronic submission is preferred; if you send comments by e-mail or fax, you do not need to send a paper copy by mail. Comments may address the entire list of parcels identified in the President's proposal, or individual parcels on that list. If commenting on individual parcels, provide the parcel number.
U.S. Forest Service
SRS Comments, Lands 4S
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Mailstop 1124
Washington, DC 20250-0003
Fax: (202) 205-1604
E-mail: [email protected]
Citizens, as always, may wish to contact their elected representatives who will have purview over final approval in Congress. Below are contacts for Idaho congressmen.
